DEVELOPING Defence rests without Donald Trump taking the witness stand in his New York hush money trial
Donald Trump's lawyers rested their defence Tuesday without the former president taking the witness stand in his New York hush money trial.
The U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday moved to make marijuana use a less serious federal crime, taking a step to reclassify the drug out of a category that includes heroin in a shift that, once completed, would shake up cannabis policy nationwide.
Shares of cannabis firms surged following the news. Stocks of pot companies such as Tilray, Trulieve Cannabis Corp, Green thumb Industries were up over 20 per cent in late afternoon trading.
The Department of Justice, which oversees the Drug Enforcement Administration, recommended that cannabis be classified as a so-called schedule three drug, with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence, instead of schedule one, which is reserved for drugs with a high potential for abuse, two sources confirmed to Reuters.
Penalties for use of schedule three drugs are less severe under federal law.
The proposal is being sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review and finalization, the sources said, while cautioning that there would still be a public comment period and a regulatory process to come.
President Joe Biden, a Democrat who is running for re-election in November, initiated a review of the drug's classification in 2022, fulfilling a campaign promise that was important to left-leaning members of his political base.
Currently, the drug falls under the DEA's class that includes heroin and LSD. It would be moved to a group that contains Tylenol with codeine and ketamine.
Reclassifying marijuana represents a first step toward narrowing the chasm between state and federal cannabis laws. The drug is legal in some form in nearly 40 states.
While rescheduling the drug does not make it legal, it would open up the doors for more research and medical use, resulting in lighter criminal penalties and increased investments in the cannabis space.
The DEA declined to comment.
The Justice Department's move came after the Health and Human Services Department in August recommended rescheduling cannabis as part of Biden's ordered review.
Public support for marijuana legalization in the United States has risen significantly over the past few decades, reflecting growing acceptance of recreational and medicinal cannabis use.
Colorado and Washington became the first states to allow recreational marijuana in 2012.
If marijuana classification were to ease at the federal level, that could allow major stock exchanges to list businesses that are in the cannabis trade and potentially allow foreign companies to begin selling their products in the United States.
While many states have legalized the medical or recreational use of cannabis, its illegal status under U.S. federal law has forced most major banks to deny their services to cannabis-related businesses.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are seeking to bolster support from the Black community for their re-election bid against former President Donald Trump, a Republican.
Black Americans and communities of color have been disproportionately impacted by marijuana drug enforcement for decades, with Black people 3.6 times more likely than white people to be arrested for marijuana possession, despite similar usage rates, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
According to data from the Pew Research Center, Black and white Americans used marijuana at roughly comparable rates in 2020, yet Black people accounted for 39 per cent of all marijuana possession arrests in the U.S. despite being only 12 per cent of the U.S. population then.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason; additional reporting bb Leroy Leo, Mrinalika Roy, Susan Heavey, Sarah Lynch, and Kat Stafford; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Donald Trump's lawyers rested their defence Tuesday without the former president taking the witness stand in his New York hush money trial.
One passenger was killed and 30 injured after a Singapore Airlines SIAL.SI flight from London hit severe turbulence en route on Tuesday, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, officials and the airline said.
Anything is possible this week, as far as Canada's weather is concerned, with forecasts ranging from scorching heat in some parts of the country to rain and snow in others.
Canada's annual inflation rate slowed to a three-year low of 2.7 per cent in April, matching expectations, and core measures continued to ease, data showed on Tuesday, likely boosting chances of a June interest rate cut.
Riley Keough, the granddaughter of Elvis Presley, is fighting plans to publicly auction his Graceland estate in Memphis after a company tried to sell the property based on claims that a loan using the king of rock ’n’ roll's former home as collateral was not repaid.
Donald Trump's reelection campaign called 'The Apprentice,' a film about the former U.S. president in the 1980s, 'pure fiction' and vowed legal action following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. But director Ali Abbasi is offering to privately screen the film for Trump.
Nestle NESN.S will market a new, US$5 line of frozen pizzas and protein-enriched pastas in the United States which it says it designed specifically for people taking drugs such as Wegovy or Ozempic for weight loss.
If you've been to a party lately and haven't seen someone drinking a BORG, you're likely not partying with college students.
As the month-long boycott of Loblaw-owned stores wears on, small independent food retailers and alternative grocery options say they're seeing a boost in traffic and sales.
For those who go to their local libraries often, they know there’s much more to their library than just borrowing books. Local libraries in Atlantic Canada are now renting out a broader range of items for people.
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Catching 'em all with impressive speed, a 7-year-old boy from Windsor, Ont. who only started his competitive Pokémon journey seven months ago has already levelled up to compete at a world championship level.
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
2b Theatre recently moved into the old Video Difference building, seeking to transform it into an artistic hub, meeting space, and temporary housing unit for visiting performers in Halifax.
A B.C. woman says her service dog pulled her from a lake moments before she had a seizure, saving her life.
A Starbucks fan — whose name is Winter — is visiting Canada on a purposeful journey that began with a random idea at one of the coffee chain's stores in Texas.
Members of Piapot First Nation, students from the University of Winnipeg and various other professionals are learning new techniques that will hopefully be used for ground searches of potential unmarked grave sites in the future.
ALS patient Mathew Brown said he’s hopeful for future ALS patients after news this week of research at Western University of a potential cure for ALS.